Bangladesh’s religious minorities warned they may face ‘brunt’ of election violence

Christians protest following an attack by local thugs on a church last Saturday in which three men were injured and the building damaged. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)
Christians and other minorities in Bangladesh face a “daunting election” at the end of the year, warns the Bangladeshi Bureau Chief of Catholic news agency UCAN. “Elections and violence go hand-in-hand in Bangladesh and minorities often face the brunt of this amid a tug-of-war between political parties jockeying for power,” . . . Read More

Vigilante group formed in Bangladesh to stop Christian activities

Vigilante group formed in Bangladesh to stop Christian activities
A vigilante committee has been formed in central Bangladesh to stop Christian activities in the local community, two months after the construction of a local church was halted. The committee is made up of political leaders, Muslim elders and an elected local government official. In September, the government official ordered . . . Read More

Bangladeshi Christians told to close church, convert to Islam

Bangladeshi Christians told to close church, convert to Islam
Construction of Tangail Evangelical Holiness Church, in Bilbathuagani village, was halted by local officials.World Watch Monitor   A local government official in central Bangladesh has halted the construction of a church, forced Christians to worship at a mosque and threatened them with eviction from their village unless they renounce their . . . Read More

Bangladesh — Islamist protest leaders arrested in wake of Dhaka siege

Bangladesh — Islamist protest leaders arrested in wake of Dhaka siege
Cattle market in Dhaka, pictured in 2008.W Jackson for World Watch Monitor   Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh on May 17 alleged that the opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was responsible for a conspiracy to topple the government from power, using recent violent protests which have rocked . . . Read More

Bangladesh PM rejects Muslim demand for blasphemy law

Bangladesh PM rejects Muslim demand for blasphemy law
The Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has turned down the demand of radical Islamists to enact a blasphemy law to punish those who desecrate Islam and its prophet Muhammad. One hundred thousand activists belonging to Hefazat-e-Islam, an umbrella Islamic organization, had earlier rallied on 6th April in the capital Dhaka . . . Read More